Wednesday, May 30, 2012

etsy update: ombre soaps

i've had summer on my mind lately with my latest shop creations.  this ombre soap creation reminds me of the colors of the ocean:  the frothy white foam to the shades of blue of the ocean. 

and ombre???  everyone is loving the ombre trend right now.  Ombre Coconut Soap $6.



































Tuesday, May 29, 2012

summer hats

love this image from anthropologie.  i have always been in love with giant floppy summer hats...evokes summer perfectly for me.  next week....beach vacation with my sis!  <3

date night

as usual, blair is workin' it in this TIBI maxi that is to die for.  WANT WANT WANT.  and i've been wearing my hair in similar sloppy updo as of late.

tonight matt and i had a date night out and went to see Men in Black 3 in 3D.  a little outside the box for us but totally fun.  i also had an entire bag of popcorn drenched in delicious movie theater butter.  and i cried at the end behind my 3D glasses because i'm pathetic *lol*

today was my first day at my "new" job--aka working from home on my Etsy shop.  a lot of behind the scenes hours being clocked in--i'll be excited when it reflects in the shop more. 














Monday, May 28, 2012

featured on the front page of Etsy this memorial day morning

Saturday, May 26, 2012

stylemint: the venice stripe tee

stylemint is having a memorial day sale, so i snatched up this cute color-blocked stripe tee.  i am hoping it is a thin lightweight material that i can wear in the summer and layer with a boyfriend blazer for fall.  i love the color combination and i love anything and everything striped.  *yay*














etsy: vegan lip balms


so excited to add some new products to my Etsy line.  i'm splitting my shop up with kitsch + fancy focusing on beauty and home products.  i made these adorable little vegan Blood Orange lip balms today.  i also made a tinted version since i love a hint of color with my lip gloss.  the product development part of this is fun!  on my near future agenda.... soy candles!

it's been so much fun researching and making stuff while watching Ru Paul's Drag Race.  my new life at home has been awesome thus far.































lunch at Luna's.


last day at Luna's.  bittersweet.  had some fun times-- and it was nice to be back in the rowdy environment of a kitchen.  a nice break from retail but reminded me how it's back breaking work and i probably am too old for it!  it was nice to be re-inspired by food again after a few years of terrible food court meals at the mall.  for my last day i ordered the Spinach Parmesan Temptation.  Luna's Spinach Temptation! You'll get an abundant serving of raw Spinach, Onions and Cherry Tomatoes tossed in out home-made Brazilian Nut "Parmesan" Dressing, accompanied by a marinated Carrot and Beet Salad! 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

lunch at 3 amigos.

the chorizo-queso at 3 amigos3 amigos is a local cantina in plaza midwood
with a big following.  known for their awesome specials and staying open late
on the weekends.


the perfect balance.  a light sprinkling of spicy chorizo, sweet caramelized onions,
and smooth, creamy queso.



2 empanadas.  one chicken one beef.  they were huge!
i loved that you could see the fork marks from them 
pressing the empanadas closed.  a little dry--but still delicious!



carne asada plate.  a tad bit dry.  i am always bad about ordering steak at
places i probably shouldn't.  haha, stick to the classics.


 matt doesn't know where to start with his giant chalupa.



so huge, delicious, and hand-fried with chicken and mexican cheese.



their tiny tacos are amazing.  they are fried almost like a little packet...
so the ingredients stay tucked inside perfectly.  this is our new go-to 
Mexican joint for sure!



















recipe: spaghetti and meatballs

sometimes i just want/need carbs for dinner.


sooo yummy.  turkey meatballs, vegetarian sausage grounds, sliced olives,
a slightly sweet tomato basil sauce, a sprinkling of parmesan and homemade
garlic toast.

Monday, May 21, 2012

stylemint wishlist.

dixon convertible skirt, stylemint $59.95
okay when i first joined stylemint... i was a little annoyed that it is a "club" that charges your card monthly.  you basically accrue credits at $29.95 a month for one credit and then use those credits to purchase items from the site.  i have seen things i want every month so the club is totally worth it *haha* --i've also worn my striped tee to death already.  anyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE great knits in basic colors/ stripes which is what this site focuses on.  stylemint's silhouettes and styling are super modern, which i love. 

here is my current stylemint wishlist.  the dixon convertible skirt/dress comes in both heather gray and black...i want both!  i love anything you can wear two ways and this piece allows you to try the asymetrical skirt hem trend.  i would love this as a traveling piece that you can throw on with sandals and a great necklace or layer with a slouchy tee, belt and heels for evening. 


Saturday, May 19, 2012

a summer heel

these platforms are so summery.  love<3

so many...owls on my desk

hoot hoot

recipe: BBQ Baked Chicken

now that i'm doing the self-employed thing....well, 8 days of working life left!  i will need to find more ways to scrimp and save until i start making money *lol*.  number one way is by cooking at home.  i like cooking and cook most of the time anyway but it is fun to do it on a tight budget because it forces you to get creative.  and we are trying to maintain our weight so being health-conscious is important to us as well. 







this BBQ baked chicken was super easy and light.  matt LOVES BBQ anything as long as it's sweet so i used a honey bbq sauce.  toss with a bunch of local summer veggies (zucchini, squash, tomatoes, red onions, carrots).  toss with olive oil and season well.  for a whole chicken, bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees to render the fat (this gives you crisp skin), then 15 minutes per pound thereafter for perfect chicken.

lunch at 7th Street Public Market.

matt and i spent the day downtown because we heard through the grapevine about the 
"Top Chef" tour coming through.  didn't really know what to expect, but we are huge
fans of the show so we definitely wanted to go.  ended up being a tad boring--we 
didn't know the 2 chefs cooking off, but glad we went anyway because we found
the 7th Street Public Market we'd been hearing about.




7th Street Public Market is still a work-in-progress but sooo cool so far.
Reminds me of the specialty markets found in big cities like the ones I've been
to in New York or Charleston.



Pure Pizza creates gorgeous artisan pizzas in unique flavor combinations



 we split the pulled pork pizza topped with purple slaw (what's with this
great purple slaw we keep seeing everywhere?!) on sprouted grain crust


served with a local honey/ cinnamon mixture for the crust.  *delicious*



Cloud 9 Confections for dessert.  Matt had the tuxedo cake which
he loved and i had a mediocre chocolate chip cookie.


 





Friday, May 18, 2012

inspiration

just got this lovely print by Handz on Etsy $20, for inspiration in my studio room

Thursday, May 17, 2012

setting up the studio part 1

the beginnings of the studio space
spent all day yesterday with matt rearranging the studio space for my transition of spending more time working at home.  we talked about how nice it would be to have a separate space that would be my "work" area where i could close the doors (no kitties!) and shut out the distractions and focus on work.  since our apartment is relatively small i'm sharing my space with matt's music equipment/ studio and it will double as a spare guestroom as well.  we keep our other nicer tv in this room and took it out of the bedroom (no more tv in bed!) so  overnight guests can be comfortable and have a tv too!

the best thing about this space is the natural sunlight!  i can also listen surround sound music on matt's speakers while working.  still have some work to do, but it's coming together well so far.






beginnings of a desk area




adding a dry erase calendar for scheduling



a wall clock: SUPER IMPORTANT!


this area needs work!  but i love the natural sunlight in this room



new cat-free pullout loveseat sleeper


organizing craft supplies into boxes



labeling is key!





Wednesday, May 16, 2012

lunch at Lulu


Lulu's dragon milk mussels: lemongrass, coconut milk, curry
today matt and i had lunch at LULU, a great little bistro tucked away in an old house in Plaza-Midwood.  it has a cool little lounge and bar area, a well-lit dining room and good food.


it drives matt crazy, but i ALWAYS want mussels when i see them on the menu!  i should probably just make them at home more often, but whatever i always want them. 









arrived with tiny forks and bread



mimosa salad: mesclun greens, fried brie, apples, spiced walnuts, berries, champagne citrus vinaigrette



hello frites!




pulled duck leg confit, pomegranate glaze, coleslaw, frizzled leeks, challah roll



lulu's butterscotch bread pudding

changes part 2


i love this cutie little tank i got from Anthropologie.  hello! i look so good in green! *haha*  the peplum is a little short for me because i'm so thick-waisted (ew)....but it will be really cute paired with a pencil skirt or jeans and a cropped blazer.

and look at how adorable the back is!   it's the little things in life that make us happy... *hehe*

i've made a big decision (once again) to take some time off working at Luna's and focus on Etsy and my crafting again.  i've been super busy with orders and i wasn't really even trying to be busy.  how fun would it be to work from home doing something you love?  so i'm going down to part time at lunas and focusing the rest of my energy on building my business.   i'll be adding some new items (soy candles, vegan lip balms, etc) and trying to have more of a presence locally.  today matt and i worked tirelessly ALL DAY LONG on re-doing the "studio" room into a true workspace for both of us.  pictures to come!  it used to be a garbage room where we just threw junk into haha.  we got a cheapo pull-out loveseat from Ikea so we can lounge and watch tv or play our Wii while the other person is working.  i added curtains and reorganized my art supplies.  gave myself a big desk for a workspace, some new filing boxes and storage boxes.  now when i am "working" on my Etsy stuff i will treat it as a true workday.  get up, get dressed, go to my "office" (hehe) and work.  when i'm done i can relax in the living room. 

wish me luck!  xoxo







Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cheap Beauty Buys

We're all on a budget nowadays, especially me, so I can't really afford to get my favorite Yves Saint Laurent lip gloss and Diior mascara to wear on an everyday basis. There are still some things I splurge on but just wear it on special occasions. Obviously I don't need to doll myself up for a day at the juice bar! These are my latest cheap beauty buys that I love right now. Everything is under $20!


Cheap Beauty Buys



Benefit Cosmetics mascara, $19
Almay face makeup, $6.99
Neutrogena face cleanser, $7.49
Body moisturizer, $15
Sebastian Professional styling product, $17

1. Gud by Burt's Bees. You can pick up this product at Target and other drugstores and it comes in a few different scents. I LOVE the Vanilla shampoo...it smells wonderful, leaves your hair soft and silky and the packaging is adorable.
2. Baby Lips by Maybelline. I wouldn't say that I'm a "sucker" for advertising but it definitely piqued my interest when I kept seeing ads for this lipgloss in magazines. It is a great everyday gloss with a hint of color that you can keep in your pockets. A good, affordable alternative to my favorite YSL gloss for everyday.
3. Neutrogena Naturals facewash. A mild cleanser made with all-natural ingredients for under $10.
4. Benefit Badgal Mascara. I always splurge on mascara. Badgal and Dior Showstop will always be my favorites. When you have sad, limp lashes like mine, it is worth the splurge!
5. Sebastian Shaper hairspray. Another item I will not skimp on is hairspray! Sebastian Shaper will give you great volume and lift without greasiness. Loreal Elnett is a close second at $13.99.
6. Almay Smart Shade Anti-aging. This foundation goes on more like a tinted moisturizer. Neat because it goes on white but turns into a shade of beige once you start rubbing it in. Also has SPF 20 which is a plus for aging skin like mine!
7. Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Body Creme in Eucalyptus Mint. I love Bath and Body Works products for everyday, especially the aromatherapy line. In Chinese culture, we use eucalyptus for it's healing qualities and the smell of it reminds me of my childhood when my mom would rub it on my upset tummy. This creme absorbs quickly and moisturizes the driest skin.